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T-Rex Returns/Transcript
Narration: There is something missing from our world. The amazing animals that time has left behind. But what if we could bring them back? What if extinction didn't have to be forever? We're going back in time on a safari with a difference, as wildlife adventurer Nigel Marven plunges into prehistory to rescue creatures on the brink of extinction. His plan is to bring them back to the safety of the present, and give them a second chance. Narration: On his very first mission, he hopes to rescue one of the last of the dinosaurs, from the most dramatic extinction ever Narration: Welcome to the ultimate wildlife sanctuary. Welcome to Prehistoric Park. :Narration: It's a big day at Prehistoric Park. :Narration: 'Throughout this huge reserve, everyone is busy preparing for the first arrivals. :'Head Keeper Bob: Come on lads, quick as you like. :Bob: Can you get a ten foot pole down the bottom of the paddock. :Narration: They're almost finished building the enclosures for everything from giant insects, to dinosaurs. :Bob: Remember, check everything! This is home to a dangerous creature! :Narration: If Nigel can make extinct animals feel at home anywhere, it's here. :Nigel Marven: The natural geography will help us contain the animals. There's the ocean to the south, and to the north, there's a mountain range. Everything I need in terms of habitats: there's savannah, there's forests, there's rivers, there's even a waterfall. Perfect environments for keeping prehistoric animals. :Narration: All they need now are the prehistoric creatures themselves. :Narration: One day, Nigel plans to breed extinct animals in captivity. But his first step is to only bring a few of each species back, to see how they get on in the 21st Century. :Narration: And Nigel knows exactly what he wants to start with. The meanest and scariest of them all - Tyrannosaurus rex! :roar :Narration: He's already worked out when and where he'll have to go to track one down. :Nigel: The most widely accepted theory about why dinosaurs became extinct is that a meteorite smashed into the Earth. This is a map of the Earth 65 million years ago. This is where the impact was, somewhere here in Mexico. You can still see the crater today. Around that time there were masses of T. rex here, somewhere in Montana, and I need to go back there to find them. :Narration: To rescue the last of the T. rex, Nigel is going back to the very end of the age of dinosaurs, as close to the meteorite impact as he dares. : : :Narration: 65 million years ago, Montana looks very different. This is a world before grass, where volcanoes dominate the landscape. :Narration: Here T. rex is king. Now all Nigel needs to do is to find one. :Narration: In a place with so many potential dangers, Nigel and his team know the sooner they accomplish their mission, the better. :Nigel: I just hope I haven't bitten off more than I can chew, we've got so little time. :Nigel: There's a wonderful forest over there, perfect habitat, and I think that's where we'll begin our search for T. rex. How's it going here? : : :Narration: T. rex is a monster. At a staggering 45 feet long and 5 tonnes, it shouldn't be too hard to track one down. :Narration: What he'll do when he does find one is not exactly clear. :Narration: T. rex are not the only creatures around. :Nigel: This must be a track way. And look - you can see here these leaves have been nibbled, these twigs have been snapped off, there's been a vegetarian browsing here. And here - the first evidence of dinosaurs. Hard to see, but you can see this footprint here. Three toes. This is the classic theropod dinosaur - the same family the T. rex is in. They stand on 2 legs, they're bipedal. It looks like there's a whole group of them here, not as big as T. rex of course, and vegetarians, you can tell by the leaves that they've eaten. And they've gone this way. This is a big track way, there must be quite a few of them. :Nigel: And they've gone down this way. :Narration: His hunch is right. :Nigel: That bush is rustling. :Nigel: And this is what normally happens when you're searching for reptiles - you hear them before you see them, hidden scurrying away through the bushes. :Nigel: They're still moving around there. These could be our first dinosaurs.